TheJourneyVolume1 - Book - Page 7
Our Resident Representatives
The Journey
#NextGenUNDP
N
elson Mandela once said: “Sometimes, it falls
upon a generation to be great. You can be
that great generation...This storybook takes
the reader along the lifelong journeys of 27
passionate men and women - ardently aspiring to do and
be just that.
They are the #NextGenUNDP Resident Representatives (RRs). The post-UN reform generation of UNDP
leadership working across the Regional Bureau for
Africa (RBA), determined to bolster positive change with
renewed vim and vigour – as articulated further by both
the UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner (page 8) and
Ahunna Eziakonwa, Director RBA (page 10).
The Regional Bureau for Africa leads UNDP’s work
in the Sub-Saharan African region to implement the
organization’s Strategic Plan, driven by the vision to
eliminate poverty and significantly reduce inequalities
and exclusion. The Resident Representatives are the key
people responsible for UNDP activities and programs in
the countries they work in.
WHO ARE THEY?
But who are these Resident Representatives? In this
storybook, our RRs take the reader on a voyage of
discovery. One that traverses beyond their job description, revealing in heartening detail, their personal life
stories of trials, triumphs, and sheer determination to
succeed against any odds, while seizing the opportunities that came their way, to become the persons they are
VOLUME 1
today - the #NextGenUNDP Resident Representatives,
rising to the new wave of global and African challenges,
by weaving a new sustainable development tapestry.
In heart-warming and insightful verbatim, the real
people behind their development expert personas, are
brought to life. Their stories are as unique and diverse as
the places they were born and raised. From the land of
Teranga (hospitality in Wolof) in Senegal, to Japan the
land of the rising sun; from the soul-inspiring French
Pyrenees to the history-teemed land of the Pharaohs Egypt, they come from all corners of the earth, a global
lattice, which in itself enriches both theirs and the
experiences of the people they serve.
Written in the first person, in their own words, this
volume indeed provides a rare and honest look into a
group of people routinely associated with technocracy.
Their frankness persuades the reader to get to know
them better on both the personal and professional
level. And, there are also some ruminations that are
so profound and inspiringly deeper than just words
on paper, evoking emotions which some may either
resonate with, or aspire to.
Weaving through each of the stories is one common
thread - our RRs are just regular human beings, eager
to play their part in making the world a better place, by
embracing and doing extraordinary work in the communities and environments they work in, while moving
with the times. They all have a sense of purpose that
informs their work ethic. A character of purpose which
compels them to deliver beyond the remit of being
development experts.
The UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa extends its
gratitude to all of them, for their honesty, commitment,
unwavering passion, and support to achieve a better
future for Africa in which nobody is left behind.
These are stories deep from the hearts of our
Resident Representatives. This is their journey. n
U N I T E D N AT I O N S D E V E L O P M E N T P R O G R A M M E
THE NEW CHAPTER
But since 2018, UNDP management and teams have
striven to take an organization that was built for a
different generation, and make it effective for the current
one, and ready for the next, working hard to reorient
its mindsets, strategies, and capabilities. This required
pushing the boundaries of how UNDP thinks, delivers,
invests, and manages. The result is the #NextGenUNDP
initiative which has birthed this new crop of well-skilled
RRs, who are enthusiastic and ready to help propel Africa
into the great, resilient, and prosperous continent it is
always meant to be.
As #NextGenUNDP Resident Representatives, their
responsibilities are broad and diverse, anchored on
guiding the countries they serve towards the attainment of
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as laid out in
the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. Their work
builds on existing UNDP assets, which include worldwide
presence, thought leadership, and nearly six decades of
experience, helping countries and communities respond
to a fast-changing development landscape. Through them
and their Country Offices, UNDP is creating new solutions,
building collaboration platforms, and sparking new
partnerships and instruments for development.
l
Weaving through each of
these stories is one common thread
- our #NextGenUNDP Resident
Representatives are just regular
human beings, eager to
play their part in making the world
a better place.”
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